Our annual celebration of nth-degree beer geekery is back for a third round. Join us for a release party large enough to match this year’s Stone Farking Wheaton w00tstout. Hop-Con isn’t about awkward handshakes, high-fives, selfies and autographs – just general and rampant merriment and geeky celebration full of great food and awesome craft beer. As always, we have surprises planned. This year, we’ve added 45% more space to the festival. Whatever could we do with that? Hmmmm…you’ll have to wait and see.

Not enough? How about an arcade game with a 25-foot screen driven from a used beer barrel converted into a vintage arcade console? This last feat will be created by our friend Hunter Bond, Troll Slayer and resident Pinball Mechanic at J!NX, with custom metal routing by San Diego’s reproHAUS.

DC Entertainment presents Comics Superstar John Romita Jr. at the Bryant Park Reading Room on Wednesday, August 5, 2015 from 12:30pm – 1:45pm. Hosted by David Shoemaker of Grantland.

John Romita Jr. is one of the comic book industry’s greatest artists. Join him in a discussion about redefining the greatest superhero of all time, SUPERMAN, and what it means to create a new legacy with DC Entertainment.

Rain information:
In case of rain, events are held under a tent at the Reading Room. In case of severe weather, please check bryantpark.org for the indoor location.

Carving time out of his busy schedule juggling multiple comics titles and overseeing numerous movies, and hopping on a trans-Atlantic flight from Scotland to the fly-over zone, is none other than comic book industry titan Mark Millar.

Take advantage of this rare opportunity to meet the man behind Marvel’s Civil War, DC’s Superman: Red Son, Kick-Ass, Wanted, and countless other comic and movie gems. Get your books signed, buy a few of the books you haven’t read and get those signed, and talk comics with Mark, at least until the other people in line push you aside!

Writer/artist Gene Luen Yang (Avatar:The Last Airbender, The Shadow Hero, American Born Chinese) appears at Flying Color Comics on Wednesday June 24, 2015 at 4:00 pm to sign his debut issue as the writer of SUPERMAN!

Meet Comics Legend Neal Adamsat the Duncanville Bookstore onWednesday, May 27th from 4:00 PM till 7:00 PM! First autograph is FREE! (Additional autographs are $10 each) Portfolios, Art Prints, Books and Sketches will be available for purchase! We are also taking on commissions so now is the time to get a piece of art drawn up by Neal Adams. Email Jason at adams@nealadams.com

And Jason will work out characters and prices with you. Maybe get a Batman Black & White Variant blank with a Batman head sketch drawn on it. You can also call Jason at 212-869-4170.

Who is Neal Adams? Neal Adams is a towering figure in the world of comic book creation and art. Neal has had legendary ‘runs’ on Batman, X-Men, Green Lantern/Green Arrow, and Deadman. Adams rescued Batman from the campy nostalgia of the television show, and re-fitted him in his present incarnation as an “Avenger of the Night.” When people say ‘modern Batman,’ they mean Neal Adams’ Batman. His run on Batman led directly to the new, more realistic incarnation in “Batman Returns” movie, which featured the character he created, Ra’s Al Ghul. Neal just did an 8 page story in Batman Black & White #1. Don’t miss out on picking one up at the store and having Neal sign it.

Cartoonist Gene Luen Yang, who is the writer for the Avatar: The Last Airbender and Superman FCBD comics, and Long Vo (Street Fighter, ThunderCats, Robotech, X-Men Evolution) plus Mike Hampton and Olympia Maxenchs appear at Illusive Comics on Saturday May 2nd at 3:00 PM for Free Comic Book Day!

The world-famous Hollywood Improv is proud to invite you to join Emmy and Annie award winner Rob Paulsen as he talks about his experiences in voice acting!

About Rob Paulsen:
Born in Detroit, Rob Paulsen spent his childhood in Livonia and Rochester, attending Junior and Senior high school in Grand Blanc, Michigan. Rob loved cartoons like most kids but aspired to be a professional hockey player. “Fortunately, thanks to some big, strong, kid from Winnipeg who drilled me so hard my ears are still ringing, I learned around age 18 I had neither the talent nor the temperament to make a living playing hockey. So, I turned to my other passions: singing and acting.”

The goal of bringing absolute believability to a fictional character, live-action or animated, is what every actor strives for. Those who are committed to their career and who combine experience, passion and skill are likely to succeed.

Those gifted with exceptional talent who focus on maximizing their potential by finding their own niche, quickly break away from the pack. After years of honing their craft and consistently delivering memorable performances in which the character impacts an indelible image on the viewer, the public and the industry take notice, singling out the best.

“I’m getting paid to do what I got in trouble for in the 7th grade,” jests Rob, who won a Daytime Emmy in 1999 as “Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program” for Pinky and The Brain (Warner Bros.) Though nominated twice previously, the victory was especially sweet due to some formidable competition – fellow nominees Louie Anderson, Ernest Borgnine, Dennis Franz and Jeffery Tambor. In addition to his Emmy, Rob won back-to-back Annie Awards in 1997 and 1998. “I absolutely love what I do and thank my lucky stars for twenty-five years of full-time employment in this business,” he says.

“It’s a treat to portray a complex character,” Rob explains about Pinky, a goof-ball mouse with funny teeth, a head filled with clouds and an inane imagination that is punctuated with a staccato laugh. “Besides … where else could I find a job where emotional outbursts and odd exclamations like ‘Egad!,’ ‘Narf!,’ ‘Poit!,’ ‘Splonk!,’ and ‘Zort!’ are allowed and in fact, encouraged?” With over 2,000 half-hours of animation to his credit, Rob’s versatility shines in his starring roles as the voices of Yakko, Pinky and Dr. Scratch ‘n’ Sniff in the Peabody and two-time Emmy award-winning series “Animaniacs.”

Some of Rob’s other well-known animated characters include Raphael of the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” Arthur in “The Tick,” the title role in “The Mask” (for a WHOLE lot less dough than Mr. Carrey, thank you), the title role in “Mighty Max,” Carl Wheezer in “Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius,” Jack Fenton in “Danny Phantom,” Bobble in the “Tinkerbell” series of DVDs and hopefully more to come.

Paulsen’s extensive credits include on-camera roles in numerous motion pictures including Body Double, Stewardess School, Eyes of Fire, The Perfect Match, and Warlocked. His television acting credits include guest-starring roles on MacGyver and St. Elsewhere. Additionally, he is one of the most sought-after voice actors in the commercial arena, performing in over 1000 commercial spots.

As passionate about “paying it forward” as he is about his lucrative career, Rob supports various charitable organizations, particularly those benefiting children and military veterans. Rob’s volunteer work with GOALmodels has been particularly rewarding. GOALmodels, a high school program in Reseda, California, is designed to inspire 9th graders to set goals and overcome obstacles in life. Blending his life experiences with passion for his work, his presentations are informative, entertaining and inspiring. In his leisure time, Rob enjoys golf, riding his motorcycle and occasionally lacing up his skates for another chance to relive his past glory on the rink. He spends the majority of his free time with his wife, Parrish, and their two Yorkshire terriers, Pooshie and Tala.